Page 10 - Demo

8House, Bartholomew County (150-14)When I looked up the word house in my dictionary, the definition read %u201ca place where people live.%u201d But my experience tells me a house is much more than that. Because I remember something special about each of the 18 houses I%u2019ve lived in, I feel that a part of me still clings to those buildings, and always will. So, when I see an abandoned, dilapidated house, I know it is filled with memories. If I decide to stop and take some pictures, I first look for interesting details like gingerbread, wainscoting, or door hardware. I%u2019ll also take notice of a particular layout of windows, discarded furniture, or how the building relates to its environment. Then, as I look around, I start to sense the pride of the carpenters and masons who built the place. I sometimes even pick up on this in small, two-room shacks built with unskilled hands. And it doesn%u2019t take long before I start wondering about the people who lived there%u2014who hoped, dreamed, loved, laughed, cried, prayed, and grieved. It%u2019s this accumulated emotional residue that appeals to me as much as the structure itself.